Sales Presentations and Proposals That Write Themselves
by Mike Parkinson

I recently presented at the Georgia Chatahoochee Chapter (you have to love that name) of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals where they learned how to turn words and ideas into winning presentation and proposal graphics. We discussed, among other things, storyboards. After my session, Allen Becker, a proposal professional of 25 years, stated the following:

"If you do the storyboards right, the proposal [and sales presentation] writes itself."

I enthusiastically agree with Mr. Becker. However, I suspect many of my readers may be wondering, "What does his statement really mean, and how can I do it?"

These are two very good questions to which wise business professionals (like yourself) would want to know the answers.

What does Allen's statement really mean? If you and your team have the good fortune of knowing the solution you wish to present and have the story you want to tell outlined and agreed to ahead of time, it is far easier to make your sales presentation or proposal. Don't laugh. I'm sure most of you are wondering in what perfect world does everyone agree to the final solution ahead of time. It does happen … sometimes … but, as you know from experience, the exact solution to be pitched is typically being developed or evolves as the presentation is made or the proposal is written. The story tends to change as the solution matures. This leads us to the second question, "How can I make powerful storyboards when my team's motto is 'I'll know it when I see it?'"

Well, here are a few tips to turn the rest of your team into Yoda-like presentation and proposal professionals.

Step 1: Get buy in.
I'm sure you will agree that if you and your team know the solution and have the story outlined and approved ahead of time, it is far easier to develop your presentation or write your proposal. Your job is to get you and your team on the same page. Most teams rush into making slides or writing. They want to see the presentation or proposal materialize piece-by-piece, section-by-section as quickly as possible. There is a sense of accomplishment when an author's slides/section is written or when a subject matter expert has completed their job. They are often motivated by the fact that when their task is done they get to go home! (Woo Hoo!)

However, when writers rush the job without a proper plan, they end up redoing their slides, rewriting their sections, or revising content because someone else's slides or section describes the solution in a different way. They rushed to get their task finished but still had to work the entire weekend on rewrites because their solution wasn't consistent with the rest of the presentation or proposal.
Avoid frustrating your team and yourself by getting everyone to agree to text and graphics through storyboards. Why? Because, we are visual creatures. (Don't believe me? What do you picture when I say "sad"—the word or an image of something sad? Watch someone give directions. Watch their hands. They are picturing the path in their mind.) If we can see something in our mind's eye, we can write to it. Mike Conk, a business professional with 16 years of experience making sales presentations and proposals, said it best: "If my team can't picture it, my team can't write to it." Seeing the solution with enough clarity from a visual representation is a powerful advantage and will definitely speed the writing process.

Step 2: Start with the 10,000-foot view.
Assemble your team to figure out the solution at a very high level. No need for details here. Stay out of the "weeds." Keep to the core question: what will we do for our future client? Avoid how you'll implement it, just what you will do to meet and exceed your client's needs. Think about it from your future client's perspective. What do you think the optimal solution is for them? Use this as your roadmap.

Step 3: Map your solution.
Use the 10,000-foot-view solution as a map (for you and your audience) and fill in the blanks and the "how” aspect. For example, what questions would your audience have about the technical aspects of your solution? What about managing the project? (Notice that I am using the 10,000-foot-view graphic in the upper left corner to highlight the path through our solution.)

Now it's time to get into the "weeds.” Each level will be more detailed.

Here is a secret that helps guarantee compelling sales presentations and proposals: focus on your audience at all times in your visuals and writing. The story you tell should be about how your future client will benefit from the solution. Why should they care that you are using a proven risk mitigation system to implement the new technology? Do not assume your audience knows the benefits.

Step 4: Make sure it tells a story.
By now, your storyboards should tell the story of how you will solve your future client's problem. If there is a missing component, fill in the blank. The storyboard should weave the pieces together, and the pages will want to write themselves. (Strict guidelines for sales presentations and government proposals may force you to break your story apart to align with the RFP. That's OK. To speed the development process and increase your chances of success, storyboarding was still necessary.) You and your team can picture the solution. Now it's simply a matter of sharing it and pointing out features, benefits, and discriminators along the way.

Visualization is the key to effective storyboards. Using sketches and graphics in your storyboards will make Allen's statement a reality: "If you do the storyboards right, the proposal [and sales presentation] writes itself.”

If you struggle to visualize your solutions, check out the free business graphics library (http://www.billiondollargraphics.com/businessgraphiclibrary.html) and get a copy of my new book Do-It-Yourself Billion Dollar Business Graphics: 3 Fast and Easy Steps to Turn Your Text and Ideas Into Graphics That Sell. I am also available to help you visualize your challenges, concepts, processes, and solutions in a way that leaves no doubt that you and your company undersatnd the needs of your future client and that you are the best-of-the-best.

Are you stuck? Do you need to find the BEST visual representation of your idea? For a limited time you can search one of Mike's graphics libraries for free and stimulate your creativity...

Do you have a graphics question? Visit http://billiondollargraphics.blogspot.com/ and post your question. Mike will be sure to answer or point you in the right direction.

Are you working too hard? Do you feel like you are spinning your wheels? There is a secret that professionals, companies, and organizations use to work less and increase their success. It involves visual communication. The secret can be yours. It is in the new book Do-It-Yourself Billion Dollar Business Graphics. Get everyone on the same page and watch your team's efficiency sky rocket and your success rate grow faster than you thought possible.

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The new book is selling fast. The reviews and feedback have been amazing. Once the secret got out, companies started getting the graphics guide for entire divisions. Authors, subject matter experts, sales and marketing professionals, and proposal teams that get the book get their creative juices flowing, save 10s-1000s of hours coming up with and writing their solutions (if you can picture the solution, you can quickly and easily write to it), save $1000s-$100,000s on production costs, and increase the likelihood of success by 43%.

Barnes and Noble currently carries Do-It-Yourself Billion Dollar Business Graphics in their online store and recently expressed interest in placing the popular visualization guide in their physical stores.

Using the secrets in Mike's book, Northrop Grumman was awarded the multi-billion dollar KC-X contract, a USAF contract that covers 175 production aircraft and 4 test platforms for their new aerial tanker fleet. The first phase is likely to reach $35+ billion over 25 years! Thanks to a dedicated team of technical experts, managers, graphic designers (from companies including Northrop Grumman and 24 Hour Company), the proposal was a success. Congratulations to everyone on the team!

The number of businesses and associations who are realizing the benefits of great visual communication are increasing. Over the past few months, Mike has done numerous seminars, written several articles, gave training courses, and was interviewed. HP, Institute for International Research, AMERICAN SYSTEMS, Kadient, APMP national chapters, and Kiewit have beneifited from training and seminars. Look for Mike’s article (co-authored by Ann Moss) in the APMP Journal Spring/Summer 2008 edition. In addition, Mike’s article Evaluators Love Graphics appeared in TargetGov’s newletter. Recently, Mike wrote articles for PresentationXpert, the APMP Houston newsletter, and ManageSmarter.com. And check out theProposalGuys.com to read their interview with Mike.

Mike writes a reoccurring article entitled "Ask the Graphics Guru" for the National Capital Area's business development newsletter, Executive Summary. Click here to read their newsletter.

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